Just Lookin'
by Odiphi
Summary: Sanosuke observes Kenshin. In the way that straight men can admire other straight men... Which is gay-ish but still somehow straight.


**I got tired of reading stories about Kenshin being such a sissy la la.**

Day in and day out time passes here at the Kamiya dojo. Not that I'm bored with it. I mean, I get time away from the place... I still gamble and I sure as hell still drink. Missy spends her time sparring and nit picking with Yahiko, who in turn spends his time antagonizing anyone and anything he can possibly manage to, and Megumi-san comes and goes and it never fails that she finds a way to stir the pot up even more, adding her own certain spice of insanity and teasing to the mix. Gensai-sama passes through frequently with his granddaughters and they in turn give the dojo a certain energy that only little children can bring with their laughter and play. Those little girls are constant companions to Kenshin throughout his daily chores, always underfoot but still playmates through and through. Like I said, I come and go; more often coming than going... In fact, I think the only times I leave are to drink, gamble, or simply go home and sleep only to get up and come back again the next day, but on occasion the routine changes. I'll take my turn baiting Yahiko or ganging up on the Missy with him. I'll play those little nonsense games with the little ladies and sometimes... _sometimes_, I'll find myself in a sparring match with Kenshin.

Himura Kenshin. Battousai, The Manslayer. So, which is he?

He's just plain old Kenshin to me but, for all the whispers, even after all the time that's passed since he settled here, you'd think the Kamiya dojo was a temple for the infamous Imperialist God. 'He has eyes that are made of fire but freeze your soul until you can't move!', I overheard one woman say. 'I heard he killed over 10,000 men!', ya' know, things like that. Every so often I've heard scoffing. 'Hah! You think he's a man slayer? He's barely up to my shoulder!' and, 'With a thin body like that, he could barely push a cart.' or, my personal favorite, 'You must be joking. He's so slight, he looks like a woman! And with that unusual hair to match.'

For all the rumors, it really pisses me off when I hear people say he's 'feminine' looking. They must be outta their damn minds. They clearly haven't even been within ten feet of the guy. I don't care what anyone says, Kenshin is anything but 'feminine'. That hakama hides a lot but theres no way can you mistake Kenshin for anything remotely womanly. Kenshin is a man. Purely and simply. Without a doubt, 100 percent, man. Smells, looks, and acts like a man. I've seen it. Sparring together, eating together, drinking together, even bathing together. He is a man.

His shoulders are broad and angled, leading down to sharp muscled shoulder blades, his arms are strong, built and with every swing of that reversed sword of his, you can see his muscle work smoothly beneath rough, tan, lightly veined skin. Tch yeah, 'pale skin' I've heard. My ass, he was a rurouni, not a damn courtesan for goodness sake. What do you think he did during the wars? Girl camp? Yeah right. His sides and hips are flat and square and his abdomen is distinictly defined; he's even got that "V" thing goin' for him. You know, the "V" from his belly button to his... you know... I gotta quit goin' on about this. Even if thinking and looking feels a kinda morbid. But I did look.

Anyway, manliness is just in his person and his fighting, movement to movement. Stance to stance. His strength, grace, and presence is that of a man. Disciplined, unyielding, firey, and superior. The guy's even gotta swagger, just as any man naturally would though it's a sorta muted kind but everyone that finally meets and knows him just kinda gets it. Kenshin may be rurouni, but he's definitely not the type of male that allows any energy or ego to overtake his own. He's way too proud for that. He commands respect, even if it comes from an enemy.

Nothin' about this guy is soft or small. Nothing.

When at the hot springs and at home I've always noticed these obvious things that I can't believe other folks overlook.

Kenshin's skin is rough and calloused. His body bears many scars; not pretty ones like on his face either, if you can consider that mark to be pretty to begin with. No, these marks over his chest, back, and arms are grisly, horrible, deformed testaments of deep mutilations. These are marks that when you see them, they give you sharp phantom pains, as if you can feel the same sword that ripped his body into pieces ripping into you too. Kenshin's hands are large and manly. It's kinda funny when compared to his stature but somehow, it all fits together anyway. Those hands have been tortured and worn to the bone. His hands have a large, warm, stable grip, fit for a sword that displays efficiency and speed in any and all conditions. They've also got plenty of callouses, cuts, and scars. His body is an angle. No curves. Simple and rough. Unforgiving, just like his past.

From head to toe, Kenshin is just as rough around the edges as any other man.

Edges, that even a man like me is just a little jealous of. I can appreciate it. Kenshin, I mean.

It's not any of that gay stuff though. I mean, I'm not okama or anything. What's wrong with you people?

**More reviews = More fanfiction**

**~OdiPhi**


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